When the authors taught Walter Dean Myers's postmodern young adult novel "Monster" to ninth graders, they assumed the students would like the text, as its format and style resemble that of popular television crime shows. The authors also assumed the students would be savvy readers of the text, capable of understanding and integrating postmodern elements to make thematic connections. Yet, the authors' classroom research revealed that students were confused by the novel's format, and some students seemed to bring traditional narrative expectations to their reading of the text. In the article, the authors share excerpts from the students' online chat discussions to highlight where much of the students' reading confusion occurred. The authors end with suggestions for future teaching and implications. (Contains 1 table and 4 excerpts.)